Russell Martin has said he is not surprised to see Swansea City struggling – but insisted he takes no pleasure from their decline. The former Swans head coach watched his current Southampton team hammer his old club 5-0 in a game that encapsulated why the former Scotland defender left one club to join the other.

Dai Flanagan has admitted he is in a fight to save his job at the Dragons after their latest humiliating capitulation. The Dragons head coach saw his team crumble in the Boxing Day derby against their biggest rivals, Cardiff – conceding nine tries at the Arms Park in a hugely embarrassing 55-21 defeat.

Erol Bulut has once again told his players they need to be more aggressive after they were held to a 2-2 Boxing Day home draw against Plymouth Argyle. The result leaves the Bluebirds with just one win in their last four games and Bulut frustrated as they failed to fully capitalise on their away win at Sheffield Wednesday.

If Anyone can do it Again at the Coral Welsh Grand National, it’s Iwilldoit. If Iwilldoit wins the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on December 27, then look out for 25 co-owners celebrating like they’re keen to make up for lost time.

WELSH bookie James Lovell reckons everyone remembers their first time. For him, his maiden Welsh Grand National at Chepstow arrived early at around the age of five.

Alan Sheehan has stressed that winning is a good habit to hold as he continues to build a credible case for remaining as Swansea City’s head coach. Sheehan earned his second win of his four games in charge as Preston were beaten 2-1 at the Swansea.com Stadium thanks to two impressive goals from Jamie Paterson.

Cardiff Rugby have gained local authority permission to increase the capacity of the Arms Park to around 12,000 for their URC Boxing Day derby against the Dragons. The demand for tickets has seen 10,000 sold already.

Luton manager Rob Edwards said he will have a special bond with Bournemouth after their staff and supporters’ reaction to Tom Lockyer’s cardiac arrest. Hatters skipper Lockyer collapsed at the Vitality Stadium last week and has since been discharged from hospital following a successful procedure to fit an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Erol Bulut has admitted he is in the dark over how much he has to spend in the January transfer window to bolster Cardiff City’s flagging promotion push. The Bluebirds boss has regularly stressed he requires reinforcements, a need made more obvious by the manner in which his team have struggled in recent weeks.

Shane Williams says the Scarlets will want to produce a big performance for their discontented fans in the west Wales Boxing Day derby – but he’s predicting an Ospreys victory. The Scarlets went down to a 23-7 defeat at home to Black Lion of Georgia in the EPCR Challenge Cup last weekend, leaving them with just two wins from their nine matches in all competitions this season.

Jac Morgan is set to miss the Six Nations because of knee injury that requires surgery. The Wales World Cup captain is poised to undergo an operation within days and may struggle to be fit before the end of the season.

Jim Williams has earned rich praise from Peter Wright after the Welsh star dumped the two-time former world champion out of the World Darts Championship. Williams, from Presteigne, defied his lowly ranking of world No.47 to beat “Snakebite” in a convincing 3-0 second round victory at Alexandra Palace.

There will be plenty of ‘Festive Fun’ on offer over the Christmas and New Year period with four Welsh derbies on offer in the BKT United Rugby Championship. Among the scores to be settled between Welsh rugby’s nearest and dearest will be the quest by the Dragons to finally pick up a win against Cardiff Rugby. When the two teams met at Rodney Parade earlier this season, the Blue & Blacks won 16-9.

Former Wales assistant manager Osian Roberts has taken on the role of interim manager at Como, an Italian Serie B club, until the conclusion of the current season. The former assistant manager at Crystal Palace takes over after Cesc Fabregas removed himself as manager as he does not have his coaching badges.

There has been no further update on the condition of Wales defender Tom Lockyer, but last weekend’s abandoned fixture between Bournemouth and Luton will be replayed in full, the Premier League have announced. Hatters skipper Lockyer collapsed in the 59th minute of Saturday’s match after he suffered a cardiac arrest, which resulted in the game being abandoned.

Nottingham Forest have appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach in succession to Steve Cooper. The Portuguese has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the City Ground following Tuesday’s sacking of Wales’ only Premier League boss, Cooper.

Ask Aaron Wainwright what he does when he isn’t playing rugby and his answer points to a man with an unstinting passion for the game. “I coach down at my local club,” replies the Dragons RFC and Wales back row star.

Steve Cooper could return quickly to Premier League management at Crystal Palace following his sacking by Nottingham Forest. The only Wales-born boss at a Premier League club, Cooper was dismissed by Forest on Tuesday afternoon after a poor run of results.

Gerwyn Price has claimed he nearly pulled out of the World Darts Championship over concerns about the reception he would face from the Alexandra Palace crowd. Following his emphatic 3-0 second-round win over Connor Scutt on Monday night, Price told Sky Sports he had been sat at home the previous evening and “probably wasn’t going to play the tournament”.

Tributes have been paid throughout Welsh rugby to former Wales and Newport captain Brian Price who has died at the age of 86. Second-row forward Price captained Wales to a Five Nations Triple Crown in 1969, six years after leading Newport to victory over New Zealand.